Postal workers plan 24-hour strike

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The Communication Workers' Union said up to 10,000 of its members will walk out on June 19 after claiming that the Royal Mail is pressing ahead with "arbitrary" cuts in jobs and services.

Deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: "Royal Mail is blocking modernisation by refusing to negotiate change with the CWU."

He added: "We have offered a moratorium on all strike action if Royal Mail will suspend executive action and enter into meaningful negotiations. We want to bring forward the successful transformation of the business by working together.

"There is growing unrest across the country as Royal Mail tries to impose damaging cuts and changes without the input of union reps. The future of the business must be safeguarded through careful planning, not shooting from the hip."

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the strike was "highly regrettable" and typical of the problems Royal Mail was facing.

He added: "Striking is not the solution. The Royal Mail needs urgent reform and this will only happen if the CWU co-operates in making it happen."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "The CWU's threat to customers of damaging strike action in London is completely at odds with its repeated claim to support modernisation and to introduce new ways of working throughout the business.

"In May, the union stated its belief that investment in, and the pace of, modernisation needs to be stepped up and we urge them to act accordingly and not to call our people out on strike action which can only hurt our customers and damage our drive to build a strong and sustainable future for Royal Mail, and to protect the universal service in the competitive marketplace."

Workers in all areas of deliveries, collections and processing across London will take part in the strike and the union warned that further industrial action would be taken if the dispute was not resolved.